Youth can and do change the world! We have always been at the forefront of transformative, sustainable, and global change. Yet, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) youth around the world disproportionately face violence, stigma, and discrimination due to who they are, who they love, and the activism that they do. These interpersonal and structural inequalities often deny LGBTQI+ youth their human rights to education, employment, health, housing, and meaningful political participation; inequalities which have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

Despite this, many LGBTQI+ youth are ready to face challenges and are resilient as they lead our collective journey to freedom! It is this resilience and passion which will be the driving force for continued change. That is why we invited you to engage in the two-day conference titled Together - Today in Resistance, Tomorrow in Solidarity, and Forever in Freedom or simply, The Together Conference. This strategic conference invited young LGBTIQ+ activists and youth-led, youth-focused organisations to come together and collaborate to produce a stronger movement locally, regionally, and globally.

 

The Together Conference brought together youth activists as we move forward in creating a new normal that is more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable. This moment in our history calls for an action-oriented space that enables critical reflection, facilitates open dialogue for sharing struggles, and plans a collective path forward for our movements. We identified the most prevalent problems, offered solutions, and developed recommendations that address key issues faced by LGBTQI+ youth. The conference will conclude with the accumulation of this knowledge in the publication of The Together Statement, a democratically-created collective statement that will be used for meaningful impact among policymakers, activists, community-based organizations, and academics.

 

This online and highly-interactive conference reflected the democratic youth engagement and decision-making practices we aim to foster in our societies. These two days hoped to be a seed in building a movement of LGBTQI+ youth activists advocating through both unity and intersectionality for the areas that impact their everyday lives. The Together Conference will recenter the ongoing work of our community, drive forward impact on a global scale, and form futures where all LGBTQI+ youth are free and equal.